Washington, June 28: Nikki Haley, 29th United States Ambassador to the United Nations, and the former Governor of South Carolina, has praised India and reiterated the importance of the US and India relations saying that "one of the most important and crucial things that India and the US share is freedom of religion. Our nations can only be held together with tolerance and respect."  Calling India a "widely respected nuclear state and democracy" she said that the US "also supports India's membership in Nuclear Suppliers Group". On Wednesday, the US postponed the '2 + 2 Ministerial Meet' with India due to "unavoidable reasons."

She continued mentioning her link and connection with India and said that "Indians have treated me like one of their own. As Governor, I would begin all my speeches by mentioning that I am the daughter of Indian immigrants. The work ethic and deep love for education amongst Indians makes me proud."

She also said that "India, a nuclear state, is respected widely because it is a responsible democracy. US also supports India's membership in Nuclear Suppliers Group. US-India relationship has grown from indifference & mutual suspicion to friendship & partnership. Today, Indian Americans are the most educated & highly philanthropic minority in US."

Talking about North Korea, she clarified that "North Korea dedicated their effort towards building nuclear forces and strong sanctions have curtailed them over time. Iran is a theocratic dictatorship and their pursuit of a nuclear weapons threatens all of us. At the Shangri-la Dialogue, Prime Minister Modi spoke about free and open Indo-Pacific region. President Trump believes in this vision. India’s vision is aspirational but it is realistic."

She said that India and  America "share a commitment to defeating terrorism and the hateful ideology that motivates it. The US values Pakistan as a partner but we cannot tolerate the state becoming a haven for terrorists and hope to see a change."

Talking about China, in wake of the recent Trade War and increased tariffs, she said that, " The US seeks productive relationship with China. However they do not share the same democratic values like us. Their expansion in the region without respect for rights unlike India will limit their relationship with US."

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jun 28, 2018 04:01 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).